Rock of Ages - High School Edition (BHMTC Youth Group)
So let's kick this one off with the obligatory caveat that the performance I am reviewing was the Final Dress Rehearsal and therefore not the absolutely complete item and performed to an almost empty theatre, still some minor tweaks to be made and if I am honest there is the opportunity for this cast to 'blow the roof' off the venue.
Had a brief chat with Chris Psaras, part of the Creative Team behind this production and I detected that the scale of the job might have been underestimated, after all this is a Rock Musical based in the 1980s about to hit the stage in the hands of performers, none of whom would have been born at the time these songs were hits and might even wonder who Starship, Twisted Sister or Foreigner are, let alone their status in the history of Rock Music. However Chris, Sally Evans, Jo Greswell and Martin Francis need not worry as my belief is that audiences will have 'nothing but, a good time' experiencing this one and it will likely live long in the memory.
Narrating (or as he might want to call it dramatic conjuring) the story is Lonny, self-proclaimed 'Sound God' and played exuberantly by Kurt Sanders, the setting on the Sunset Strip in the legendary Bourbon Room owned by Dennis Dupree, portrayed in true 'aging hippy' style with some soulful vocals by Matt Hickman.
Cue a love story between wannabe rocker Drew Boley (or should I say Wolfgang Von Colt !), an authoritative performance from Joshua Hawkins and aspiring actress from Kansas, Sherrie Christian an explosive vocal and stage presence by Rhi Luckins.
Attempting to clear 'The Strip' of sin and debauchery and replace it with 'clean living' are German developers Hilda Klineman, the epitome of a dominant German mother delivered by Elle-May Davies and her son Franz played enthusiastically and energetically by Lewis Everall. Putting herself up as champion of the people against these developments is Anita Bath a quietly stunning performance from Megan Luckins, ultimately and quite unexpectedly falling for the quaint charm of Franz.
In an attempt to save the Bourbon Room, Dennis coerces Stacee Jaxx, played with outstanding characterisation and earthy vocals by James Callaghan to stage the last gig of his mega-band Arsenal there, leading to Sherrie (who by now thinks Drew only sees her as a friend) falling for the rather unattainable Stacee, who in turn convinces Dennis to remove her from her waitress job.
Keeping up ? Well with nowhere to go and on the streets, enter Justice Charlier, proprietor of the Venus a Go Go Club, played with some style and a knockout vocal (somewhat akin to Aretha Franklin) by Emma Pryce to take Sherrie in and give her a job as a dancer.
Some quietly unassuming presences on stage but, with obvious stage talent that was eminently noticeable came from Connor Wilson as both Sherrie's Father and the Mayor (a great vocal for Sister Christian), Ellie Hudson a leading light in the dance numbers and unmistakably the smallest physical presence on stage but, the greatest in charm and application from Holly Edwards.
Difficult to include everybody by name, yet all of the cast contribute to overall quality of this show. Finally, I won’t give away the remainder of the storyline or whether Drew and Sherrie get together in the end, you’ll have to buy a ticket and find out yourself and I seriously recommend you do, performances run from 18th to 20th July 2019.
Book Here
Had a brief chat with Chris Psaras, part of the Creative Team behind this production and I detected that the scale of the job might have been underestimated, after all this is a Rock Musical based in the 1980s about to hit the stage in the hands of performers, none of whom would have been born at the time these songs were hits and might even wonder who Starship, Twisted Sister or Foreigner are, let alone their status in the history of Rock Music. However Chris, Sally Evans, Jo Greswell and Martin Francis need not worry as my belief is that audiences will have 'nothing but, a good time' experiencing this one and it will likely live long in the memory.
Narrating (or as he might want to call it dramatic conjuring) the story is Lonny, self-proclaimed 'Sound God' and played exuberantly by Kurt Sanders, the setting on the Sunset Strip in the legendary Bourbon Room owned by Dennis Dupree, portrayed in true 'aging hippy' style with some soulful vocals by Matt Hickman.
Cue a love story between wannabe rocker Drew Boley (or should I say Wolfgang Von Colt !), an authoritative performance from Joshua Hawkins and aspiring actress from Kansas, Sherrie Christian an explosive vocal and stage presence by Rhi Luckins.
Attempting to clear 'The Strip' of sin and debauchery and replace it with 'clean living' are German developers Hilda Klineman, the epitome of a dominant German mother delivered by Elle-May Davies and her son Franz played enthusiastically and energetically by Lewis Everall. Putting herself up as champion of the people against these developments is Anita Bath a quietly stunning performance from Megan Luckins, ultimately and quite unexpectedly falling for the quaint charm of Franz.
In an attempt to save the Bourbon Room, Dennis coerces Stacee Jaxx, played with outstanding characterisation and earthy vocals by James Callaghan to stage the last gig of his mega-band Arsenal there, leading to Sherrie (who by now thinks Drew only sees her as a friend) falling for the rather unattainable Stacee, who in turn convinces Dennis to remove her from her waitress job.
Keeping up ? Well with nowhere to go and on the streets, enter Justice Charlier, proprietor of the Venus a Go Go Club, played with some style and a knockout vocal (somewhat akin to Aretha Franklin) by Emma Pryce to take Sherrie in and give her a job as a dancer.
Some quietly unassuming presences on stage but, with obvious stage talent that was eminently noticeable came from Connor Wilson as both Sherrie's Father and the Mayor (a great vocal for Sister Christian), Ellie Hudson a leading light in the dance numbers and unmistakably the smallest physical presence on stage but, the greatest in charm and application from Holly Edwards.
Difficult to include everybody by name, yet all of the cast contribute to overall quality of this show. Finally, I won’t give away the remainder of the storyline or whether Drew and Sherrie get together in the end, you’ll have to buy a ticket and find out yourself and I seriously recommend you do, performances run from 18th to 20th July 2019.
Book Here
Comments
Post a Comment